Safety door actuator



July 6, 1965 H. L. MILLER' SAFETY DOOR ACTUATOR Filed July 26. 1962 2Sheets-Sheet '1 gm/7 A ///7/L INVENTOR. 19048040 A. M/llfl? July 6, 1965H. MILLER 3,193,274

SAFETY DOOR ACTUATOR Filed July 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTORH4ROZ0 M/LLIR BY M M ATTOA'A A'YS United States Patent 3,193,274 SAFETYDOGR ACTUATGR Harold L. Miller, Detroit, Mich, assignor to VerncoProducts, Inc, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed July 26,1962, Ser. No. 212,587 7 Claims. (Cl. 268- 59) This invention relates toa garage door operating mechanism and more particularly to a mechanismwhich has a safety release feature in the event the door hits anobstruction. It is becoming quite common to have power-operated garagedoors, some of which are operated by a simple switch mechanism andothers of which are operated in response to radio signals, lightsignals, or an audible signal such as a horn blast.

In these control mechanisms, there have been many attempts to providesafety features primarily of an electrical nature to reverse themechanism or release the power when an obstruction is met. For example,if the car is not fully in the garage or a childs bicycle or toy is inthe doorway, it is desirable that the power be cut off on the meeting ofthe obstruction to prevent damage either to the article causing theobstruction or to the door or the operating mechanism.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety releasemechanism which is independent of the electrical circuit. This permits aless expensive electrical circuit both from the point of view of initialcost and maintenance.

It is another object to provide a release mechanism which is readilyadjustable and which can be manually released if desired and manuallyre-engaged.

Other objects and features of the invention relating to details ofconstruction and operation will be apparent in the following descriptionand claims.

Drawings accompany the disclosure and the various views thereof may bebriefly described as:

FIGURE 1, a side view of a door operating assembly.

FIGURE 2, a bottom elevation of the release mechanism.

FIGURE 3, a section through the track of the mechamsm.

FIGURE 4, a plan view of the mechanism.

FIGURE 5, a diagrammatic view of the operating circuit.

FIGURE 6, a view of a modification showing a safety lock mechanism.

FIGURE 7, a plan view of the safety mechanism.

Referring to the drawings:

The mechanism consists primarily of a housing 20, a driving motor 22, aguide track 24 and a drive chain 26. The header 3% of a garage dooropening is shown adjacent which is mounted in suitable vertical andhorizontal tracks (not shown) a vertical-lift garage door 32 of standardconstruction. Suitable and standard counterbalance mechanisms can beused. On the housing 20 is a bracket 34 (FIGURE 4) which serves as asupport to be bolted or suspended within the garage in horizontal spacedrelation to the header 39. The guide track 24 is preferably an angleiron of inverted T-shape bolted to the forward end of the housing 2% at36 and suspended at the other end by an angle bracket 38 mounted on theheader 3t) and a short insert 40 joined to the angled bracket at 42 andto the angle mount 24 at 44.

On the short insert 40 is mounted an idle sprocket 46 to support one endof the chain 26. A drive sprocket 48 on the housing 29 serves to powerthe chain. A center support bracket 50 for the guide iron 24 (FIGURE 1)is provided. The motor 22 drives a pulley 52 which in turn, through abelt 54, drives a large pulley 56 which is connected to the drivesprocket 48.

Slidably mounted on the guide track 24 is a power shuttle block 66shaped as shown in FIGURE 3 to have suitable engagement with thehorizontal flanges of the track 24. A pillar block 62 is securelyfastened to the righthand side of block 60 as viewed in FIGURE 4, thisblock being apertured to receive the chain 26 which is adjustablyanchored to the block by nuts 64 and 66. Pillar block 62 is located atone end of the shuttle block 60 and at the other end is a second pillarblock 68 (see FIGURE 3) also apertured to receive the chain 26 which ispinned in position by a small cross pin 70.

Depending from the bottom surface of shuttle block 60 are two parallelflanges 72 and '74 positioned in spaced relation. Lying alongside of theoutside surfaces of these flanges are two plates '76 and 78 held inposition at one end by a cross pin 80 and at the other end by a crosspin 82. The plates 76 and 78 have a relatively loose fit with each ofthe cross pins so that they may pivot at cross pin 82 to a limiteddegree.

It will be seen that cross pin 82 projects to either side of the platesat one end, and there is mounted on said pin a compression spring 84held in place and adjustable in tension by a nut 86. At the other end ofpin 82 is a toggle lever 88 pivoted at 99, this lever being pivoted onthe pin 82 in such a way that in the position shown in FIGURE 2 thespring is under a greater tension than when the toggle lever is moved toa position perpendicular to the plate 76. It will be noted that theplates 76 and 78 have a formation at one end wherein there is a slightreturn portion 92 and an outward flaring portion 94, thus creating are-entrant recess just within the portions 92.

Also slidably mounted on the horizontal flanges of track 24 is a secondor follower shuttle suitably shaped to slide horizontally on the guidetrack and having at one end depending spaced bracket flanges 102 towhich is pivoted one end of a garage door actuator bar 164, the otherend of the bar 104 being pivoted to a bracket 106 on the door 32 (seeFIGURE 1). Also depending from the follower shuttle 100 at the other endis a bolt member 110, this bolt member being shaped on one side withangled surfaces which complement the return portions 92 on the plates 76and 78.

It will be seen from an inspection of the bottom view shown in FIGURE 2that a predetermined tension force tending to separate the two shuttleblocks 60 and tilt! will cause a separation of the plates 76 and 78 byreason of an outward camming force on the portions 92 causing a slightcompression of the spring 84 as the plates pivot around pin 80.Likewise, if the parts are separated, they may be re-engaged by forcingthe bolt member 110 into the flaring jaws 94 which spread to allow thebolt to reente the re-entrant recess between the plates. The action ofthe actuator bar IE4 is standard and common to power-controlled doorsystems.

The chain 26 is provided with two actuator lugs 112 and 114, one lughaving an upstanding pin 116 and the other lug having a depending pin118. These pins c0- operate with a Y-shaped switch actuator lever 120pivoted at 122 on housing 20. This lever actuates a reversing switch pin124 projecting out of the top of the housing 20. A limit member 126controls the throw of the lever 120.

It will be seen that the Y-shaped lever 120 has two arms 128 and 130spaced vertically (FIGURE 1) so that pin 116 will contact arm 130 andpin 118 will contact arm 128. Thus, in normal operatioin, at the end ofeach cycle the switch arm 124 will be shifted for a re-start in theopposite direction.

This disclosure is supplemented in FIGURE 5 by a diagrammatic controlcircuit wherein a 115 volt line feeds to a transformer primary coil 130from which a secondary coil 132 feeds into a circuit controlled by apush-button switch 134 or any other automatic control desired andincludes a solenoid coil 136 in a ratchet relay mechanism indicatedgenerally at 138. The solenoid controls the ratchet relay 138 whichdirects the normalvoltage to the motor M, this being the motor 22 in theother figures. This current is controlled by the reversing switch 148.This is normal circuitry in the system. I

In FIGURES 6 and 7, a modified construction is shown wherein the controlplates on the power shuttle, shown at 150 and 152, have standardconstruction at the lefthand end similar to that shown in FIGURE 2. Atthe right-hand end, the plates are extended to have lock porti-ons 154and 156 in spaced sllightly flared relationship. Adjacent the doorheader is a spreader bar 160 shaped to enter the space between theportions 154-156 as the power shuttle comes to a stop in the door-closedposition. Thus, a person trying to operatethe door from the outsidecould not cause the opening of the biased plates and 152 against thespring 84 because the plates cannot pivot around the pin 86 due to thepresence of the spreader bar 160.

In the operation of the device, it will be seen that normally the powershuttle block 60 and the follower shuttle block 100 are travelingtogether along the track slide 24 and cause normal opening and closingof the door 32. When the door is closing, if it should meet anobstruction, the latch bolt 110 will be forced out of the grip of theside plates 764% and the power shuttle can continue its circuit and cometo a stop, the door remaining in the position in which it was blocked.To re-engage the two parts, it is necessary only to manipulate the doorto force the follower shuttle 180 firmly against the power shuttle. Thiscauses re-engagement of the bolt 110 into the recess formed by thespring plates 76-78. Thus, an exceedingly simple safety mechanism isprovided, and it will be seen that the adjustment of the tension on thespring 84 will allow the breakaway to occur at any predetermined pointdesired I claim:

1. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttleoperates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise andlower the door, safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power shuttle on said track,

(c) spring biased means on said shuttle forminga re-entry recess,

(d) a second shuttle on said track associated with an actuator arm of agarage door, and l (e) anchor means on said second shuttle releasablyreceivable in said re-entry recess of said power shuttle wherein saidshuttles may be releasably engaged for normal operation of said door.

2. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttleoperates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise andlower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power shuttle on said track,

(c) a second shuttle on said track associated with an actuator arm of agarage door,

(d) spring biased means on one of said shuttles forming a re-entryrecess, and

(e) anchor means on the other of said shuttles releasably receivable on,said re-entry recess of said one shuttle wherein said shuttles may bereleasably engaged for normal operation of said door.

3; In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttleoperates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise andlower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track, 7

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track,

(c) a follower shuttle also movable on said guide track, said followershuttle being operatively connected with a door to be opened and closed,

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions theytravel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement onsaid respective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tensionseparation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstructionblocking the motion of said follower shuttle,

(e) said latch and bolt mechanism comprising:

(1) a plurality of spring-biased spaced plates on one of said shuttlesforming a re-entrant recess, and

(2) bolt means on the other of said shuttles adapted to be received insaid recess and releasable upon the exertion of said predeterminedforce, said bolt and said latch means being reengageable upon motion ofsaid shuttles toward each other. a

4. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttleoperates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise andlower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track,

(c) a follower shuttle also movable on said guide track,

' said follower shuttle being operatively connected with a door to beopened and closed,

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions theytravel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement onsaid respective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tensionseparation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstructionblocking the motion of said follower shuttle, and

(e) lock means mounted adjacent one end of said track to block releaseof said latch means when said shuttles are positioned adjacent said lockmeans.

5. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttleoperates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise andlower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track, 7

(c) a follower shuttle also movable on said guide track, said followershuttle being operatively connected with a door to be opened and closed,

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions theytravel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement onsaid rep spective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tensionseparation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstructionblocking the motion of said .follower shuttle, and

(e) said latch means comprising:

(1) spaced arms forcing a re-entrant recess therebetween,

(2) a shaft transfixing said arms and projecting beyond said arms in twodirections,

(3) a spring on one end of said shaft adjustable ,to bias said armstoward each other, and

(4) a releasable lever pivoted at the other end of said shaft to relievethe resilient bias on said plates.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 in which a lock means is provided,said plates being spaced apart at the ends opposite said recess, andmeans positioned adjacent one end of said track to lie'between saidplates in said spaced apart portion to prevent an opening motion of saidplates while insaid position.

7. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttleoperates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise andlower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track,

(c) a follower shuttle also movable on said guide track, said followershuttle being operatively connected with a door to be opened and closed,

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions theytravel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement onsaid respective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tensionseparation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstructionblocking the motion of said follower shuttle, and

(e) said latch and bolt mechanism comprising:

(1) a plurality of spring-biased spaced plates on one of said shuttlesforming a re-entrant recess, (2) means pivoting said plates on saidshuttle such that the portions forming the re-entrant recess can pivotaway from each other to open said recess,

(3) resilient means urging said plates together,

(4) bolt means on the other of said shuttles adapted to be received insaid recess and releasable upon the exertion of a predetermined force,

(5) a portion of said plat-es adjacent said pivot lying in spacedrelation, and

(6) means mounted independently of said shuttles to position betweensaid plates adjacent said pivot when the shuttles are in a door closingposition, said means blocking any pivotal motion of said plates toprevent the opening of said recess when in said position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R.MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

2 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

1. IN A GARAGE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM WITHIN A LINEAL POWER SHUTTLEOPERATES AN ACTUATOR ARM CONNECTED TO A VERTICAL-LIFT DOOR TO RAIDE ANDLOWER THE DOOR, A SAFETY RELEASE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A GUIDETRACK, (B) A POWER SHUTTLE ON SAID TRACK, (C) SPRING BIASED MEANS ONSAID SHUTTLE FORMING A RE-ENTRY RECESS, (D) A SECOND SHUTTLE ON SAIDTRACK ASSOCIATED WITH AN ACTUATOR ARM OF A GARAGE DOOR, AND (E) ANCHORMEANS ON SAID SECOND SHUTTLE RELEASABLY RECEIVABLE IN SAID RE-ENTRYRECESS OF SAID POWER SHUTTLE WHEREIN SAID SHUTTLE MAY BE RELEASABLYENGAGED FOR NORMAL OPERATION OF SAID DOOR.